Her Majesty Chose Violence, They Chose Her

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: The Presumptuous Little Emperor

In the study of Cian Palace, Duke Rong and Liu Zhongwen sat with grave expressions. In the main seat, the Empress Dowager’s face was even darker.

There was one faction in the court that the Empress Dowager had always done her utmost to suppress and deeply feared: the Imperial Family.

After all, the empire did belong to the Xiao Family.

Emperor Taizhong had many children. But because they were all so exceptional, they fought amongst themselves until only Prince Jing and the late Emperor remained, causing the Imperial Family to dwindle.

Yet even so, the collateral branches of the Imperial Family were still numerous. It was only through the combined suppression of various powerful ministers that these extended family members had been prevented from flourishing.

Who would have thought that it would be the Emperor who took the initiative to bring Prince Jing into the fold.

’Do you think this is just about one man? Wrong. As soon as Prince Jing gains a firm foothold in the court, the Imperial Family behind him will spring up like mushrooms after rain. Their already massive power base just needs a single opportunity to expand.’

The appearance of Prince Jing was a headache for the Empress Dowager, but what was more chilling was the fact that the Little Emperor was the one who had sought him out.

’The Little Emperor was her own daughter. She should have been the most devoted and obedient, yet now all she could think about was rebelling against her.’

’She had the blood of the Xiao Family in her, after all. A thankless wretch you can never tame!’

At that moment, the Empress Dowager’s loathing for the Little Emperor peaked. She hated herself for giving birth to such a monster, and hated that she hadn’t strangled the girl the moment she knew she was a daughter. It would have been less of a headache to just adopt a child from the Liu Family to raise.

She completely ignored how she had unleashed all her own malice upon her daughter, flogging and abusing the girl time and again. She had long since lost the right to be called a mother.

She was the Empress Dowager in power, a successful woman, but by no means a good mother.

Duke Rong identified the biggest problem at a glance. "No matter what, the most important thing now is to coax the Emperor back to our side. We must make her one of us and not push her toward the Xiao Family."

The Little Emperor was weak. In this swirling vortex of struggle for Imperial Power, she could be crushed at any moment.

Yet her existence was also crucial, especially for the Empress Dowager’s faction. Without the Little Emperor, they would lose their claim on Imperial Power.

The ticket for entry was a flimsy thing, but without it, you couldn’t even get in the door.

Before, they had dared to ignore the Little Emperor, relying on the fact that she was the Empress Dowager’s own flesh and blood. Through this blood connection, the Empress Dowager had her completely under her thumb.

The Empress Dowager, for her part, was certain the Little Emperor was a useless coward. ’What prospects could a mere girl possibly have?’

’She was only born from my womb because I happened to need a child to seize the throne.’

’I gave the Little Emperor her life. I gave her the throne.’

’How dare she defy me? What right does she have to defy me?’

Coax her back? The Empress Dowager couldn’t bring herself to do it.

’Dare to defy the mother who gave her life? She was lucky I haven’t strangled her already!’

"I know what I’m doing. Let her stir up trouble for a couple of days."

A grim look filled the Empress Dowager’s eyes; she already had a plan in mind.

------

’To hell with being emperor! Whoever wants the job can have it!!!’

In a side hall of the Imperial Study Room, the lamps burned brightly, yet the atmosphere felt gloomy, weighed down by a palpable aura of resentment.

And the source of all this resentment was, of course, His Majesty the Emperor, who was being forced to write an essay!

To avoid punishment, Xiao Yang had written the thousand-word essay, but Rong Yin was not satisfied and made her rewrite it.

She wrote it over and over again.

This was the third time. She felt like she was about to cough up blood from writing.

SNAP!

As Xiao Lv watched in terror, the brush in the Little Emperor’s hand finally snapped.

Ink splattered all over her face. Thick droplets slid down her cheeks, stark against her snow-white skin. With eyes full of resentment, she looked like a vengeful spirit returned from hell, wanting to destroy everything in her path.

"Rong Yin!"

She glared at the Regent King, who was calmly sipping his tea before her, her eyes like poison-tipped daggers.

The next moment, everything happened in a blur for Xiao Lv; he only saw an inkstone go flying.

CRASH!

The Regent King tilted his head slightly, dodging the inkstone aimed straight for his head, but he couldn’t avoid the ink that sloshed out of it.

It didn’t show on his dark clothes, but his divinely handsome face was splattered with ink just like the Little Emperor’s. A drop slid down, leaving a long streak on his cheek.

Xiao Lv’s heart pounded in his chest, terrified that the Regent King would stand up and simply eliminate the Little Emperor on the spot.

’He mentally debated whether he should try to intervene.’

But the Little Emperor was even angrier than the Regent King. "If you want to revolt, then revolt! If you want to kill me or carve me up, then bring it on! What kind of hero tortures Us like this?"

Rong Yin knew that wiping at the ink would only smear it, so he didn’t even raise a hand to touch his face. He simply set down his teacup with grace and fixed the Little Emperor with a calm, profound gaze.

"Your Majesty wishes to rule in your own right, but you can’t even master these fundamentals. How can you speak of governing the realm?"

Xiao Yang sneered. "And if I did learn, would the realm suddenly be mine? This is the first I’ve heard of anyone gaining Imperial Power just by reading books."

"You’ve read so many books. How is it you haven’t taken the throne for yourself yet? Don’t tell me you don’t want it, could it?"

Xiao Lv was speechless. ’So much for the Puppet Emperor being bullied,’ he thought.

All he saw was a Little Emperor who, given an inch, would take a mile. Her verbal attacks were off the charts.

For a moment, Rong Yin was actually at a loss for a rebuttal.

The downside of being too well-read is that you become too reasonable. When faced with someone so brazen and fearless, you’re left utterly helpless.

Rong Yin rose to his feet, the air around him turning cold and grim. "I am acting on the late Emperor’s final edict to instruct Your Majesty. For as long as Your Majesty sits on this throne, I will continue to fulfill my duty."

Xiao Yang slammed her hand on the table. "So you *do* know you’re supposed to be teaching, not torturing me! I’ve written it three times already! If this keeps up, the roosters will be crowing!"

Xiao Yang was genuinely furious, seething with a rage so intense the corners of her eyes had turned red.

Rong Yin happened to glance at her eyes and momentarily forgot what he was about to say.

After a moment of silence, he swept his sleeves and departed.

SLAM!

Xiao Yang threw herself heavily onto the daybed, feeling as if her very soul were drifting out of her body. Her eyes were vacant. "Finally... I’m free."

Xiao Lv was speechless again. ’You can really tell she hates studying.’

Xiao Lv gathered the policy papers. "It is late, and Your Majesty is tired. Please wash up and rest."

He, too, prepared to leave.

"Cousin, do you want to be the Emperor?"

The hand with which Xiao Lv was holding the papers froze. "Your Majesty is speaking nonsense again."

Xiao Yang stared blankly at the ceiling beams. "This is no life for a human being."

Xiao Lv didn’t answer. After finishing tidying up, he glanced back. The Little Emperor had already closed her eyes and fallen asleep, even letting out soft snores. She was clearly exhausted.

The Little Emperor’s features were exquisitely beautiful, androgynous, with a unique boyish charm.

Normally, her eyes twinkled with starlight, full of cunning and vitality. But now, asleep, she looked quiet and docile, utterly harmless.

The ink smudges on her face looked like a cat’s whiskers, which was oddly cute. But this same harmless-looking youth was the one who had drawn a sword to kill someone and had threatened him and his father.

A Puppet Emperor was still an Emperor, after all.

He left quietly, taking care not to disturb her.

----

Xiao Yang was not someone who was skilled at political maneuvering.

Her mother was a business world powerhouse, her father a talented scion of a musical family. They had married for love, but later separated as their life goals diverged.

As the product of their love, Xiao Yang was well provided for after their divorce and received a considerable inheritance.

The greatest hardships she had ever suffered were things like being locked in a dark room by her nanny for three days without food, or being kidnapped and nearly killed before she escaped by jumping off a bridge, breaking both her legs in the process...

’Tsk. Suddenly, I’m realizing my past was pretty miserable after all.’

But however miserable it was, she had pulled through. And just when she was starting to live freely and thrive, she had been brought to this place.

Being a Puppet Emperor was genuinely suffocating. There was nowhere to run, and she still had to endure abuse.

’But hey, I’m already here. Since I can’t go back, and my life isn’t worth much anyway, I might as well go completely nuts.’

SPLASH!

Xiao Yang only slept for a short while before the sticky, uncomfortable feeling on her skin woke her up. She decided to take a bath.

In the Dragon Spring Pool, water flowed from the mouths of nine dragon statues. The water was as warm as a natural hot spring, and steam swirled in the air.

The servants in attendance all withdrew, and she took a long, comfortable bath by herself. When she rose and stepped out of the water, the slight chill of the air on her snow-white skin woke her up completely.

’The night is deep and the dew is heavy. What to do at a time like this?’

’Pull an all-nighter, of course.’

Xiao Yang changed her clothes quickly, then glanced at Bi Fang, who was waiting by the door. "It’s time to put you to the test."

Bi Fang: "?"

Late at night, Xiao Yang snuck out of the Imperial Palace and headed for the Regent Prince Mansion. Fortunately, the mansion wasn’t far, and it didn’t take her long to arrive.

’The Regent Prince Mansion is heavily guarded; sneaking in is impossible. Besides, it’s not like I’m a thief. Might as well knock.’

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Regent King, open up for Us! I know you’re in there!"

"Open up! Open up!"